Volleyball Set to Host Pirate Invitational to Open Season

Matches 1-3: East Carolina (0-0) vs. Bethune-Cookman (0-0), Hampton (0-0) and Radford (0-0)
Coverage	Aug. 28 \| 7:00 p.m. ET \| Watch \| Live Stats Aug. 29 \| 7:00 p.m. ET \| Watch \| Live Stats Aug. 30 \| 3:00 p.m. ET \| Watch \| Live Stats
Venue	Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum \| Greenville, N.C.
Match Notes	East Carolina \| Bethune-Cookman \| Hampton \| Radford
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #ECUVB #GoPirates

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The 2026 volleyball season is set to begin officially on Friday, August 28, with the ECU Volleyball team having the privilege to host the Pirate Invitational for their first weekend. The Pirates welcome Bethune-Cookman, Hampton and Radford to Greenville for the weekend, with the first game kicking off at 2:00 p.m. ET with Bethune-Cookman vs. Hampton.

East Carolina's home opener is set for Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET, against Bethune-Cookman.

The Pirate Invitational marks the first of two home tournaments the Pirates will host in their non-conference leg of the schedule. ECU did not have the opportunity to host a tournament in the 2025 season and has not hosted a tournament since 2024. This will mark the first season under head coach Adler Augustin in which the Pirates host two tournaments in the non-conference schedule.

Augustin enters his seventh season at East Carolina, welcoming nine newcomers to Greenville, as well as eight returning from last season.

FULL PIRATE INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, August 28
Bethune-Cookman vs. Hampton (2:00 p.m. ET)
East Carolina vs. Bethune-Cookman (7:00 p.m. ET)

Saturday, August 29
Hampton vs. Radford (11:00 a.m. ET)
Bethune-Cookman vs. Radford (4:00 p.m. ET)
East Carolina vs. Hampton (7:00 p.m. ET)

Sunday, August 30
East Carolina vs. Radford (3:00 p.m. ET)

TWO PIRATES NAMED TO PRESEASON TEAM
Angeles Alderete and Taryn Gilreath are the two lone Pirates to represent East Carolina in the Preseason polls, both making the preseason All-Conference Team. This marks Gilreath's second consecutive season on the preseason team and Alderete's second time making the preseason team, after being named to the preseason All-Conference Team in 2023.

Alderete's 2025 campaign came to an end before it started due to an impactful injury toward the end of the 2024 season. Despite the injury, Alderete returns for the 2026 season. The outside hitter has made an All-Conference Selection every year she has been eligible, including notching 2022 Conference Freshman of the Year and 2024 Conference Preseason Player of the Year. She currently has 1130 kills and 990 digs in her tenure, and with ten more digs, she will be the seventh player in program history to record 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills in her Pirate career. Alderete recorded 10 total double-doubles in the 2024 season, with a season high of 22 kills, as well as leading the team in service aces that year (33).

Gilreath dominated for the Pirates in the 2024 season, earning Conference All-Freshman Team honors and, going into the 2025 season, being named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. In the 2025 season, Gilreath averaged 7.59 assists and 2.00 digs per set, starting in 26 of 27 matches. Toward the end of non-conference play, Gilreath recorded the second triple-double in ECU volleyball history against Tulane, with 14 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills. She led the team in assists with 767 and ranked among the top five in digs (202) and service aces (22).

IN WITH THE OLD, AND THE NEW
The ECU Pirates' retention of returning players was high, only losing one senior and three to the transfer portal, while eight returners are set on the roster for the 2027 season. With eight set to return, nine players join the Pirate roster, both transfer and freshman alike. In equal parts, there are nine upperclassmen and nine lowerclassmen, with seven seniors, six more than there were last year. With a balance of experience and inexperience, the Pirates are setting themselves up for success in the 2026 season.

ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN
Bethune-Cookman marks the first game of the 2026 Pirate Volleyball Season, as well as the second game in the Pirate Invitational on August 28. The Wildcats finished the 2025 season 14-15 overall, while going 11-5 in conference play, ultimately losing their opening game in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament to No. 5 Seed Alabama A&M. B-CU made a run in their conference play, going the entire month of October undefeated (9 matches), with each match finished within four sets. Although losing some of their top starters, the Wildcats have returner Kaliegh Williams, who became a key player as a freshman, topping B-CU with 123.0 total blocks, as well as placing top four on the team in kills (134) and service aces (32). Her efforts earned her All-SWAC First Team honors and Blocker of the Year. The Pirates lead the series 2-0, and the last time ECU faced the Wildcats was in 2023, when the Pirates took three full sets to sweep B-CU.

ABOUT HAMPTON
Hampton comes to Greenville off a 1-26 overall record in the 2025 season, while going winless throughout conference play (0-16). The Pirates made their way to Hampton, Va. at the beginning of 2025, where the Hampton Pirates hosted the season-opening tournament. The ECU Pirates dominated the tournament with a clean sweep in all three matches, including towering Hampton in three sets. ECU has the overall record against Hampton (3-1), with the 2025 match being the first time Hampton and ECU had met since 2018, when Hampton held their lone win against the Pirates.

ABOUT RADFORD
Radford ended its 2025 season with a 10-20 overall record, going 5-9 in conference, and the season ended at the Big South Volleyball Tournament when it lost to No. 2 seed High Point. The Highlanders had a big win in their non-conference schedule, sweeping host Virginia Tech 3-0 in Blacksburg at the Virginia Tech Tournament. One big returner for the Highlanders is Big-South All-Freshman Olivia Ryno. The RS/OH appeared in 27 of 30 matches, recording 10+ kills in 12, and ranked second on the team in total points (233.5). East Carolina and Radford have only met once before, back in 2021, when the Pirates took the match in three sets on the Campus of Coastal Carolina for their Chanticleer Classic.

Stay up to date with all things East Carolina Volleyball on ecupirates.com, as well as through various social media platforms.

Volleyball Set to Host Pirate Invitational to Open Season

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Players Mentioned

Angeles Alderete

Taryn Gilreath

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